Table of Contents

Inside the June 2012 Issue

Just before Marilyn Monroe’s shocking death, in 1962, photographer Lawrence Schiller hit the jackpot, capturing the world’s most famous blonde at her most seductive. Fifty years later, in an adaptation from his new book, Schiller reveals the complicated woman he came to know, along with exclusive outtakes of the full Monroe.
When We Were 56

John Heilpern and Steve Pyke spotlight director Michael Apted, as he releases the next documentary in his “Up Series.”
Becoming Obama

In a selection from his biography of Barack Obama, David Maraniss interviews both the president and Genevieve Cook—the “mystery woman” of Obama’s New York days—for a portrait of the leader as a young man: just out of college, in a serious romance, and painfully figuring out who he wanted to be.
V.F. Portrait: Paul Smith

Sir Paul Smith has fashioned a global brand that embodies classic British style, spelled out in his upcoming book, Paul Smith: A to Z. Fellow designer Marc Newson recalls his introduction to the Smith sensibility. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.
The Devils in the Diva

Only nine months out of rehab, Whitney Houston was fighting to recover her voice—and her platinum-covered career. She had a new movie, new music, and a new man. What led the pop sensation, instead, to her death in a Beverly Hilton bathtub on February 11? Mark Seal investigates, exploring Houston’s toxic choices and tragic final days.
Filly Cheesecake

Bo Derek spotlights jockey Chantal Sutherland, whose form is as impeccable as that of any Thoroughbred she’s ridden.
The Talk of Mumbai

Nita Ambani, the wife of India’s wealthiest man, has striven to make her own mark, but everyone’s fixated on her family’s 27-story, 400,000-square-foot Mumbai mansion. At last, she opens up about “Antilia” to James Reginato, who discovers why the lady of the house is among a budding dynasty’s greatest assets. Photographs by Jonathan Becker.
Parks’s Place

On a single New York block, 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, lies a century’s worth of social and literary history. Strolling that asphalt memory lane, Alex Shoumatoff revisits the haunts—the Algonquin, the Harvard Club, the old New Yorker building—of a vanishing world and his own younger self. Photographs by Jonathan Becker. Illustration by Dominique Corbasson.
FANFAIR
30 Days in the Life of the Culture

Just yesterday, Oprah was perched atop the pop-culture pyramid, a seemingly bulletproof brand. Her comedown, like the recent stumbles of Howard Stern and Simon Cowell, among others, draws James Wolcott’s keen scrutiny. Photo illustrations by Darrow.
The Big Flip

Yes, Democrats and Republicans are divided as never before. But, as Todd S. Purdum points out, the two parties have also completely switched identities, with the right in rebellion and the left playing defense. Illustration by Barry Blitt.
Love Is in the Aria

Damian Fowler and Francesco Carrozzini spotlight opera stars Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez, whose duets have the ring of married bliss.
Blood in the Water

Since the very public resignation of angry executive Greg Smith, in March, Goldman Sachs has faced new speculation about its future, and that of C.E.O. Lloyd Blankfein. Herself a former Goldman employee, Bethany McLean runs the scenarios.
Hough Stuff

Juli Weiner and Angelo Pennetta spotlight Julianne Hough, working the Bourbon Room in Rock of Ages, the movie.
Murdoch’s Civil War

Like one of his tabloid stories run amok, the scandal consuming Rupert Murdoch’s British papers appears to have endless legs. With lawsuits and arrests still mounting—and an internal investigation taking its toll—Sarah Ellison finds Murdoch caught between the swashbuckling empire he created and its cold-blooded strategy for survival.
VANITIES
Double Decker

VF.com chronicles the intermingling of pundits and politicians at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner and *V.F.’*s exclusive after-party.
The Coastal Crowd

Italian-born photographer Massimo Vitali is best known for focusing his wide lens on the crowded beaches and monuments of his home country. Click through a retrospective of his colorful work.
On the Rail